«Maybe you should go upstairs and compare battle strategies with Wilfred. He knows what he is talking about,» says Caelha drily. «Or first, maybe, if you would be so kind; fetch the tablets for healing spells for you friend here. They are in the library.» Then she quickly turns back to her sodales, «where were we?»
Ealhstan, having spent a few days here already, knows that on the second floor, there is the kitchen and a common room where the covenfolk usually eat. On the third floor there turb barracks and two small sanctums for the redcaps who are not currently present. You would expect to find Wilfred and the rest of the turb on one of these floors. On the fourth floor, there is a library, council room, and a cramped haphazard lab. The remaining three floors are sanctums for the Gifted, also absent, magi. (Others will learn this later.) The present, first floor, is already above ground; there is probably a basement underneath, but its entrance is not obvious.
Ealhstan tips his mug even further drinking the last and places it back on the table with a satisfied but small burp, "C'mon Jack. Let's see how lax the security of this library is." His wide grin still on his face and he stands and leaves, heading up towards the library.
"Library? Don't read so don't use a library. Well except when I need something to wipe my ...." The large grog shuts his mouth as he looks down the table toward Luciu.
Jack stands to follow after Ealhstan, snagging a hunk of cheese from the table to eat on the way.
“So Caela, do you have accommodation available or do I need to sleep under canvas? How about use of your library, is it open for our use?” Asks Janus with his usual lack of tact.
We have room for everyone indoors, but no space for privacy. We use the rooms we have. When the rest of the reinforcements arrive, it will be quite cramped. Osgar and Mildburg will help you settle in.
She introduces you to the middle-aged couple who seems to be running the household.
The library is here to help us all prepare the war effort, so of course you can use it to study. No copying without express permission of course. I am sure you are tired after the journey so we can discuss the war effort tomorrow.
Osgar and Mildred show you around, and you see the floors that Ealhstan already knew. Spare beds are found both in the sick room and the barracks, and made up in the council room and smaller rooms adjoining the library.
Clarissa is still waiting to examine Luciu, but with the bind wound spell, he may not care until sunset, possibly. Does anyone use a casting tablet from the library? Caelha will offer to cast the purification if you are in doubt, but probably one of your own lot has better arts.
You will learn that there are the three senior covenfolk, Osgar the autocrat, Mildred the stewardess, and Clarissa the head chirurgeon. There is a turb of half a dozen, and half a dozen servants. There are also four rangers who are expected back in the evening, spending the day foraging, probably fishing.
The library at Ungulus
Tablets
The chirurgeon’s healing touch CrCo20
heal heavy wound CrCo30
heal incapacitating wound CrCo35
Purification of the festering wounds CrCo20 (+9 recovery bonus
Inexorable Search InCo20 +21 penetration
Leap of Homecoming ReCo35
Aegis of the Hearth L25 +26 penetration
Lab Texts for Lesser Enchanted Devices
Invisibility Cloak [canon spell]
Flaming Sword [canon spell]
Incendior Homine CrIg40 [Cov:53]
Weightless Chain [canon]
Flying Broomstick Cr(Re)Au39
(also explains how to get a +5 shape bonus to flight from the broom)
based on Wings of the Soaring Wind Cr(Re)Au30, maintains concentration and 12 uses/day
Tractatus
Area Lore: Highlands Q10 (10C) +Q8 (9C)
Area Lore: Scottish Lowlands Q11 (10C)
Area Lore: Scottish Lowlands (Q7) The March in Loch Leglean by Vera the Redcap, dated Ungulus 1012
Area Lore: Wales Q9 (10C)
Area Lore: Northumbria Q11 (10C)
Area Lore: Northumbria (Q7) Battles in Northumbria by Vera the Redcap, dated Ungulus 1012
Area Lore: Mercia (Q8): The Cleansing of Mercia by Tacitus of Tremere, dated Ungulus 1012
Diedne Lore: Know thy enemy by Tacitus of Tremere Q8, dated Blackthorn 1010
Finesse 2xQ10
Penetration 2xQ10
Magic Lore Q11 (10C)
Magic Lore Q10 Legacy of the Lochs by Ulma filia Pralix 889
Luciu greets Janus politely, and listens to his story with interest, but has little to say, only the encouraging listening noises a storyteller expects.
He only comments that he hasn't seen the battlefield Janus mentioned, but he will need to go inspect it when he is healthy.
"I've been tasked to check every battlefield, magical site, and covenant I can, if they might have Diedne influence or effects left behind." He says. "But with a hostile lord in control of most of the territory, we'll need to be careful."
Ignoring Caelha, except for his smile growing even wider as we walks out of the room, Ealhstan ascends to the library with or without Jack and asks for the casting tablet.
Ealhstan grabs the casting tablets for both the spells mentioned. “We really should do something about you being able to read, Jack. We can be of much greater service to the magi if we have that skill… and it is much harder for them to keep things from us when we know it. How good is your Latin?”
Then, leading Jack he heads back to where he left the others still sitting in the room they were all eating in, but approaches them when he finds them along the way wherever they are on their tour of the tower.
"I get by. Grew up in Cad Gadu, ya know. My old sergeant said I better learn it if I was gonna make anything of myself watchin over them maguses. Understand Latin [4] better than I do Welsh [2] if I'm honest."
The big soldier chuckles.
"Besides. Covenant ladies like a little Latin when you take a tumble with 'em. Makes ya sound sophistificated."
Ealhstan seems a little taken aback at the word "tumble" but the moment of shock quickly passes into a smile and, in Welsh [obviously non-native but fluent, 4], "Well your Latin may be good enough for that extra level of... um, sophistication you get with being literate." A wink and switching to English, "I hear the women of Toulouse are all aflutter at poems about love, Jack the Giantess Woo-er, how you think about that?" An easy smile crossing his face, "Might be you could find another means of defeating them... though finding a bed large enough may be difficult."
And now upon the rest of the group, he lifts the tablets and says, "Wasn't sure which one to grab so I took them both," then, directed at Caelha, "I can tell you of how Magvillus protects their precious writings, even from folks such as me given comparatively good access. Books and papers are precious, lass, you never know what sort of vagabonds will enter your covenant unannounced... or be let in such as the likes of Jack here." Indicating Jack next to him with his thumb.
"Bed? Can count on one hand the tumbles I had in a bed," says Jack. "Beds're are for rich nobles and the like. Don't need to add their lice to what I already got!"
The big fellow laughs at Eahlstan's jokes and chatter about the women of Toulouse but grows quiet again as they meet back with the others, unsure whether or not Eahlstan is making him the butt of a joke about vagabonds.
Once Luciu is healed and settled in, Thom excuses himself politely and heads out to explore and wander.
The handsome young man takes a quick look at the library, taking particular note of the faerie related spells and magic lore tractati. As Thom peruses the library, his expression darkens, memories of the library of Castrum Antiquum rising from early in his apprenticeship. Shaking his head after a moment, the young man heads down and out to check on the goats and the nisse.
Once outside, Thom walks about the grounds casually and with a friendly manner. Nodding quiet greetings to any of the grogs or covenfolk he sees. The young Merinita is paying attention as he walks about, keeping track in his keen mind the numbers of people he sees, the count of livestock. He doesn't hesitate to use Second Sight to get a sense of what may be hidden about Ungulus, looking in particular for any signs of regiones or anything else that seems odd or particularly innovative.
He asks one of the covenfolk where the goats may have gotten to and heads in that direction, keeping his eye out for the nisse.
Janus took the recovery aide, since nobody has offered the vis to cast a ritual. (He rolled it in a previous post.)
It is not a problem. If something disappears, we shall manage to find you and claim it back.
After a few days, the nisse has settled in one of the sheds, and got himself busy making the animals comfortable.
There is nothing out of the ordinary in the immediate vicinity. The covenant seems to have livestock and croplands for a lot more people than you have seen, but then there are these people out on campaign, so that's reasonable enough. The ordinary, of course, includes some spirits that are usually just ignored. Even those who see them with second sight will learn to ignore them; they are everywhere.
Over the weeks remaining of the season, I suspect you travel further, but I'll get back to that when I have heard from everyone.
Caela is eager to discuss the next campaign. «You should make sure to leave before Autumn, so that you have good chances to return before Winter.» At the same time, she is hoping for further reinforcements any time.